Cognia’s first Impact Report captures the essence of our impact over the past year, contextualized within our 130 year history. This includes strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of state education agencies, supporting teaching and learning by introducing assessments that will inform meaningful changes in the classroom, developing peer-to-peer learning networks for education leaders and teachers on a national scale, and certifying competency-based education and other learner-centric approaches.

Cognia’s 2024 Impact Report, released in March, identifies the many ways our work and accomplishments have impacted Cognia network institutions during the most recently completed academic year.

The report highlights:

  • The rapid growth and broad reach of our tools, services, assessments, and collaborative networks.
  • Our ability to continually innovate and expand our services to meet the growing needs of our partners.
  • Important partnerships with key organizations and agencies that school leaders and educators rely on to help schools, districts, and states improve.
  • Examples where states, districts, and schools have made significant progress partnering with Cognia.

We are grateful to all our partners and look forward to another year of improvement and powerful results.

Key Highlights

Cognia extends its reach to serve 17 million students. In 2024, Cognia was a trusted partner for school improvement to 17 million students and 800,000 educators across 40,000 public and private institutions in 90 countries.
Accreditation helps schools continuously improve. Cognia is the largest K-12 accreditor in the United States, far outpacing other regional accreditors. Last year, Cognia conducted 1,435 accreditation reviews, delivering actionable insights to educators worldwide. This includes reviews of 1,253 U.S.-based institutions and 182 international institutions.
Cognia and North Dakota achieve two “firsts.” In the last complete school year, Cognia became the first regional accrediting body to accredit a state education agency (SEA) —the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, which became the first SEA in the United States to earn accreditation.
Cognia has shaped  performance standards for Education Service Organizations (ESO). Developed with input from ESO practitioners and grounded in research, newly developed performance standards define the practices that drive high-quality education services and establish clear, actionable criteria for continuous improvement.
Cognia STEM certifications on the rise across all levels of learning. Between 2023 and 2024, Cognia awarded 132 early learning, K-12, and postsecondary STEM certifications.
In its second year, certification of competency-based education sees significant growth. In 2023, Westminster, CO, Public Schools became the first district to earn the Cognia Competency-based Education (CBE) Certification, developed in collaboration with the Aurora Institute’s CompetencyWorks initiative. Last year, Cognia awarded 24 more CBE certifications.
Cognia observation tools have reached critical mass in nation’s schools; eleot was used in its one millionth classroom in 2024.
  • During the 2023–2024 academic year, the Effective Learning Environment Observation Tool (eleot) and the Teacher Observation Tool facilitated 253,322 classroom observations.
  • Educators conducted an additional 1,528 early learning observations, examining best practices for fostering early childhood development.
  • After 13 years of implementation, eleot reached an extraordinary milestone: reaching more than one million classrooms.
Schools and districts evolve their use of diagnostic reviews to improve performance. Cognia conducted 53 diagnostic reviews, equipping educators with critical insights to address the root causes of academic underperformance—whether among specific student subgroups or the general population.

In Jefferson County, AL:

  • Fultondale High School demonstrated more growth in college and career readiness than 99% of other high schools statewide.
  • Pleasant Grove High School achieved academic growth surpassing 86% of other high schools in the state.
  • Minor Community School outperformed 91% of elementary schools in academic growth statewide.
Cognia and Tennessee’s turnaround pilot program helps schools defy academic expectations.  In 2023, Hawkins Mill Elementary School and Trezevant High School rose from the bottom 5% of the state’s Title I schools, achieving growth that outpaced even historically high-performing schools.

  • At Trezevant High School, English II student growth exceeded 92% of all high schools in the state. Biology student growth outpaced 77% of all high schools statewide.
  • At Hawkins Mill Elementary, third graders’ math growth surpassed the majority of third graders across Tennessee, including students in more affluent and high-performing schools.
Summative assessments provide key academic performance data for states. Cognia provides summative assessments for 1.2 million students nationwide, helping institutions meet state and federal accountability requirements. Cognia also develops alternate assessments for many states, providing opportunities for all students to demonstrate progress in their learning.
Cognia acquires CenterPoint Education Solutions, a national leader in interim, curriculum-based assessments. On July 1, 2024, Cognia took a bold step forward by acquiring CenterPoint Education Solutions to help further meet the evolving needs of schools and systems and empower educators with actionable insights at key intervals.
Interim assessments drive significant two-year gains. From 2021 to 2023, Carmen Schools of Science and Technology in Wisconsin achieved significant progress through the strategic implementation of Cognia Interim Assessments.

  • The percentage of students scoring in the “Does Not Meet” range on state tests decreased.
  • The percentage of students scoring in the “Meets” and “Exceeds” ranges increased significantly.
  • Notably, sixth-grade students showed a 31.7% increase in the percentage of students in the “Exceeds” range.
The Cognia Learning Community grew exponentially over its first two years. Cognia’s professional learning network, which allows educators to access high-quality content, collaborate with peers, and accelerate improvement on their own schedule, has grown exponentially since its launch in 2022. The Cognia Learning Community’s learning labs have now been used by 61,548 educators and education leaders.
In October 2023, Cognia hosted its first Leadership Circle Summit. Cognia brought together district superintendents from across the nation for an immersive, four-day in-person event to collaborate, share insights, and explore innovative solutions to pressing challenges. 100% of participants affirmed that the summit’s collaborative, peer-led learning approach effectively met their professional growth needs.
Cognia’s partnership with AASA gives a broad group of superintendents access to Cognia’s Leadership Circle professional community. In September 2024, Cognia proudly announced an agreement with AASA, The School Superintendents Association, which gives AASA members access to Cognia’s Leadership Circle professional community. Learn more about our work with AASA in a recent Leader Chat episode.

 

Read the full Cognia 2024 Impact Report.

Sheppard Ranbom
Sheppard Ranbom is contributing editor of The Source. He is an award-winning education writer whose work has appeared in numerous education trade publications, daily newspapers, and magazines, and is the author or editor of dozens of definitive reports on education. For the past 24 years, he has been president of the Washington, DC-based education public affairs firm CommunicationWorks, LLC.

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